Victoria has vowed to overhaul its childcare oversight regime after an independent review found the state’s regulators were unable to keep children safe because of poor information-sharing, legal constraints and chronic underfunding. Premier Jacinta Allan issued a public apology and said her government would implement all 22 recommendations of the “rapid child safety review” released on Wednesday. The review, co-authored by former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority chair Pamela White, was ordered in July after Melbourne educator Joshua Dale Brown was charged with more than 70 sexual-abuse offences involving babies and toddlers. It calls for the creation of an independent early-childhood regulator within 12 months, mandatory random inspections of every centre each year, higher staffing and qualification requirements, and a ‘four-eyes’ rule ensuring at least two adults are present with children at all times. Recommendations also include tightening the Working With Children Check by mandating child-safety training for applicants, lowering the threshold for suspensions or revocations and giving authorities access to unsubstantiated misconduct allegations via a national, AI-driven database. The report urges Victoria and the Commonwealth to revisit the sector’s reliance on for-profit operators and to set up a national Early Education Reform Commission to track progress on the reforms. Education ministers will discuss the proposals at a scheduled meeting on Friday.